Florida Panhandle sand dune restoration plan released

As recovery and restoration efforts ramp up post-Hurricane Michael, restoring the towering sand dunes that define beaches across Florida’s Panhandle has become a critical priority to local, state and federal agencies as well as coastal residents. But information about how best to restore dunes has not yet been collected in one place.

Responding to this information need, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and Florida Sea Grant have released “Dune Restoration and Enhancement for the Florida Panhandle,” a first-of-its-kind manual that describes restoration techniques specific to the Panhandle.

“These restoration techniques have been developed and tested through research and monitoring activities for the northern Gulf of Mexico region,” said Mack Thetford, a professor in the UF/IFAS environmental horticulture department and a co-author of the manual.

Shell’s recent success in the US Gulf of Mexico includes its deepwater Dover discovery on Mississippi Canyon 612, reported last year, near its Appomattox platform. The well was drilled by the Deepwater Poseidon ultra-deepwater drillship. Sources: Shell, Transocean.

In lieu of the traditional shovel groundbreaking, Miami City Commission chair Ken Russell, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Miami city manager Emilio T. Gonzalez (pictured l-r) perform the ceremonial water toss to mark the start of the first Miami Forever Bond project tackling flooding and sea-level rise. (Photo by City of Miami Office of Communications)